


Arc Vanguard-Psyqualia

by IcyPheonix



Series: Arc Vanguard Au [1]
Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard, Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Characters to be added, Gen, Tags to be added, Vanguard Au, eventual Shun/Yuto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-15
Updated: 2018-10-10
Packaged: 2019-03-19 03:51:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13696296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IcyPheonix/pseuds/IcyPheonix
Summary: Yuto never expected his life to be anything but quiet, until a chance encounter after school brings Yuto head first into the world of Vanguard, and with it Kurosaki Shun.Now Yuto's entire life is about to be flipped on its head.Especially when he starts hearing something no one else can hear, the voices of the cards.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Some joking around in discord got me thinking about a Vanguard character swap au with Yuto in Aichi's place and Shun in Kai's place.  
> And then this happened.
> 
> No you do not need any prior knowledge of Vanguard to understand this. No more than you'd need it to pick up the manga or watch the first episode for the first time. My goal is to make this as 'newbie friendly' as possible. That said you should totally watch Cardfight!! Vanguard. 
> 
> Do I intend to do all the seasons? Idk, it would be fun (Legion Mate but with ShunYoot, yeah) but really long. We'll see if I can get the Psyqualia arc done.
> 
> EDIT: I forgot to click the 'multiple chapters' button! FML

‘ _Can you picture it? Picture yourself becoming as strong as this guy. If you hold that image in your mind, then it’s sure to come true._ ’

 

Yuto sighed heavily, sinking down his chair and behind his books. He couldn’t wait for school to be over so he could go home. Mr. Weber was droning on about history, the words going in one ear and out the other.

“Mr. Hiiragi!”

Yuto jumped at the sound of his name being called, how long had the teacher been trying to get his attention? If the soft snickers and whispers around him were any indication, this wasn’t the first time his name had been called.

“I’m glad to see you’re paying attention. Now, if you could answer the question.”

“I ah,” he rubbed the back of his neck, swallowing nervously. “Could you repeat the question?”

His teacher sighed heavily and shook his head.

Yuto wished he could turn invisible and hide.

It was embarrassing, having all those eyes on him like that, especially since he’d been caught not paying attention. His answer didn’t help and he slunk further into his seat, hoping the class would just ignore him.

Reaching into his deck he pulled out a small, innocuous looking dark blue box. Glancing around he quietly opened it, flipping through the cards tucked away neatly inside.

He visibly relaxed as he pulled out a single card. The image on the front of a card was a large, proud looking black dragon that stood on two legs, wings spread wide, a double edged staff held in one hand. Red and green marks seemed to shine along the contours of its body and it gave off an aura of power.

Phantom Blaster Dragon.

Yuto wished he could daydream in peace, letting his mind wander off to another world, a world where he could be Phantom Blaster Dragon, strong, brave, not afraid of anything or anyone. And maybe he’d have the courage to make friends.

He’d tried, but his shyness always won out and the whispers and stares of his classmates sent him turning tail and retreating back into his shell, insisting to himself that he’d try another time. But ‘another time’ never came and he found himself on the outside of everything, wishing he could just find the courage to step forward.

With a sigh he slipped his card back into the box and tucked it away, resting his chin on his forearms, waiting patiently for class to end so he could be spared any more embarrassment and just go home.

 

At the sound of the final bell, Yuto grabbed his bag, making a beeline for the door.

He’d just gotten past the school entrance when a voice called out behind him, halting him in his tracks.

“Oi, Hiiragi!”

Yuto looked around, why would anyone be calling him? Turning his head he saw two people approaching him, a fiery red-haired boy from his class tailed by the ever exhausted looking meek girl that always seemed to be following him around. Allen and Sayaka he was pretty sure their names were.

“Yes?”

“I didn’t know you were a Cardfighter.”

Yuto cocked his head, “I’m not.”

“Come on, I saw what you had in class,” said Allen; suddenly reaching forward and pulling the deck box from Yuto’s pocket.

“I don’t play,” said Yuto, making a grab for the box. “Now give it back.”

“Allen please, we don’t have time for this,” said Sayaka, tugging on his arm. “Just give it back and let’s go.”

“Come on Sayaka, if he’s not actually using them then he doesn’t really need them,” said Allen, flipping the box open and flicking through them. “Aha, there it is.” He pulled a card out before tossing the box back to Yuto, cards spilling everywhere, Yuto immediately diving to collect them. “It’s not like this one would do you any good anyways, it’s better off in the hands of someone like me who could actually use it,” he said, waving about Phantom Blaster Dragon.

Yuto’s face paled, of all the cards for him to have taken, he had to pick that one.

“Hey, give that back!” he called, cards half gathered in his hands.

“So it can sit and collect dust with you? No way.” Before Yuto could do anything, Allen took off down the road, shouting something about ‘I’ll finally show that jerk who’s boss’.

Sayaka sighed and gave Yuto an apologetic look. “I’m…sorry about him,” she said before chasing off after him.

Yuto’s hands shook as he gathered his fallen cards from the dirt, of all the cards in his collection, Phantom Blaster Dragon held the most value to him. Not because of it’s rarity or anything like that, but out of sentiment. It was special to him; he had to get it back.

He carefully dusted off his cards, slipping them back into the box and closing it before standing back up and dusting himself off. Now he just had to figure out where Allen had gone.

He was probably going to be card fighting, it had certainly sounded like he was going to fight someone, so a card shop would be his best bet to check. Yuto sighed, he hoped that there wouldn’t be to many, stopping and checking each one would be time consuming, not to mention embarrassing.

Man, he was going to be late getting home and Yuzu was going to kill him. But he had to get that card back. He just hoped Yuzu would understand.

Clutching his things he headed off down the road in the direction he’d seen Allen head, surely there couldn’t be that many card shops, right?

 

Card Capital, that was the name of the shop Yuto found himself standing in front of, knees beginning to shake.

He swallowed as he took a step forward, this time he was going to stand up for himself; he was going to get his card back.

Taking a deep breath he strode forward, pushed the door open, and stepped into the store.

Yuto wasn’t sure what he expected a card shop to be like, but Card Capital was, nice, in a word. It was open and specious and well lit. To the left of the door sat the counter, behind which sat a bored looking teenage girl with short green hair, nose buried in a book. She briefly glanced at Yuto before returning to her book. A white cat slept curled up on the countertop, barely reacting to the door opening.

A young man with bright orange hair and a face painted with freckles looked up from the cash and flashed him a smile.

“You’re a new face around here,” he said. “Can I help you with anything today?”

Yuto looked around the store quickly, the walls were lined with card packs and boxes and at the back of the room were tables full of people having card fights. His eyes landed on a table nearer to the front as he caught sight of Allen’s telltale red hair, and Sayaka with her face in her hands, sighing heavily.

“Oh, ah no thank you,” he said quickly.

The man nodded as he resumed working, typing away at the computer.

“Aww man, how could I lose? This isn’t fair, you had to have cheated somehow!” sputtered Allen, pointing across the table at his opponent.

“No, the problem is you’re just a bad cardfighter,” said the teen with red and green hair sitting across from him. “Now, as promised, this card is mine.” He reached across the table and grabbed a card from in front of Allen.

“You have to give me that card back!”

Yuto didn’t even realize he’d spoken till the words came from his mouth and suddenly all eyes were turned in his direction. For a moment the shop grew eerily quiet and Yuto just wanted to shrink away and vanish, all that attention on him made him very, very small.

Then a voice spoke up. “Wait, you’re telling me you were betting with a card that wasn’t even yours?” The red and green haired boy holding the card frowned. “Dude.”

Allen shirked back and Sayaka sighed, shaking her head.

“Well, that’s, it’s not like he was using it anyways!”

Yuto swallowed and took a step forward, “Please, that card its mine. It’s, important to me.”

The young man sitting at the table beside the teen turned his head slightly, fixing Yuto with his sharp gaze, gold eyes almost boring into him.

“But it’s not yours anymore. It was wagered in a fight and lost.”

“Shun that’s not really fair.”

“The only way to get back something lost in a cardfight, is with a cardfight,” he said, taking the card from the other boy’s hand as he stood up.

“Then fight me, please!” said Yuto quickly.

“You said you weren’t a cardfighter,” said Allen. “You’ve never even played.”

“I haven’t,” said Yuto, pulling out his deck box. “I’ve never had a cardfight before, but I have a deck, so that I can fight.”

Allen began to sputter but Sayaka grabbed him by the collar and hauled him off to another seat before he could say or do anything. “You fought, you lost, just give it up.”

“Alright, I’ll fight you,” he said, moving around the table to sit down.

As Yuto walked closer he got a better look at the other cardfighter, the one holding his card, Shun.

He was dressed in a dark shirt and light jacket and a bag sat in the chair next to him. Those gold eyes and that teal hair, Yuto was sure of it, it had to be _him_.

“Come on, you wouldn’t even fight me but you’re willing to fight him? A newbie that’s never even played?” sputtered Allen.

“Allen shut up!”

“Because, I can see conviction in his eyes,” said Shun. “He has resolve. Something you lack. You couldn’t even beat Yuya.” He gestured to the teen, who had seated himself backwards in a chair to watch the fight.

“What’s _that_ supposed to mean Shun?”

“Why you–“ A loud cough caught their attention and they looked towards the counter, where the girl had closed her book and was glaring at them harshly. Allen gulped and closed his mouth quickly, deciding it was better if he said nothing.

Taking a deep breath, Yuto dropped into a chair across from Shun, heart racing in his chest.

“Since you’ve never fought I’ll walk you through it,” said Shun before handing Phantom Blaster Dragon back to Yuto. “You need this to complete your deck don’t you?”

Yuto nodded, taking the card back perhaps a bit to fast.

“Can you picture it?” asked Shun. “The planet Cray. We’re nothing but phantoms on the planet’s surface, calling on its denizens to do battle in our stead. That is to say, the cards in our decks. And the one that fights in the lead, is the vanguard.”

Yuto nodded, trying not to fidget in his seat as he listened.

“Now, take a Grade 0 card from your deck and set it face down, this will become your avatar when you become the vanguard. Now, we shuffle our decks and draw five cards from it, then we can begin.”

Yuto felt his hands shake as he drew his cards, carefully looking them over. He could barely believe it; he was in his first cardfight!

“Next we enter the Ride Phase. Once per turn you can ride a vanguard of a higher grade,” said Shun, placing a Grade 1 unit on top of the card already on his field. “And you vanguard can call others that are the same level or lower to fight along side it. This is the rear guard.”

He looked at Yuto, his gaze sending a chill down his spine.

“Luckily for you, I can’t attack on my first turn. So now it’s your turn.”

Yuto nodded that he understood and looked down at his cards, he could ride a Grade 1 and call Grades 1s and 0s this turn. Following Shun’s moves, he rode on a Grade 1 and summoned a rear guard as well.

“Now, you have the option of attacking me if you wish,” said Shun. “If that’s the choice you wish to make, then ‘rest’ the card by turning it sideways and declaring it.”

Yuto looked at the cards, scanning over the attack power and effects.

“Alright. Darkside Pegasus boosts my Vanguard and, I attack!” Yuto felt a rush as he called out his attack.

Shun for his part, barely flinched and drew a card from his deck. “When ever someone takes a point of damage, a card is placed in the Damage Zone from the deck. And when six points of damage have been taken, the fight ends. Understand?”

Yuto nodded, and Shun continued. “Good, then let’s continue the fight.”

Yuya folded his arms over the back of the chair, resting his chin on his hands. Shun was taking this fight really seriously, something he hadn’t seen him do in a while.

‘ _This poor kid has no idea what he’s gotten himself into,_ ’ he thought with a sigh as he looked over at Yuto. If Shun hadn’t intervened he’d had given the card back anyways, it just felt wrong to keep it after learning that it was stolen. But, Shun seemed to have something to prove with this fight.

As the match progressed Yuto couldn’t help but feel excited, his pulse racing with each turn that passed.

Triggers and guarding were the next thing Shun explained, by showing them firsthand to Yuto as he guarded against attacks and powered up with triggers drawn from his deck during the Drive check of his battle phase.

“I’d hoped I’d get to fight you sometime Shun,” said Yuto as he summoned rear guards to the field.

“That makes two of us, Yuto.”

From behind Yuto, Yuya perked up, lifting his head from his arms.

A smile tugged at Yuto’s lips. “Ever since we met, I’ve wanted to see you again. To fight you.”

“Wait, you know each other?” asked Yuya.

Yuto nodded, a smile tugging at his lips.

 

_“You look like the saddest person in the world.”_

_Yuto looked up at the boy who’d stepped in front of him, hands on hips, stopping him in the middle of the sidewalk._

_“What happened, you’re all filthy.”_

_Yuto mumbled under his breath, scuffing the ground with the toe of his shoe as he looked away._

_“I know why don’t you take this?” The boy thrust a card into his face, a card depicting a large, proud looking dragon warrior._

_Tentatively, he reached up, taking the card from him and examining it closely._

“ _Can you picture it? Picture yourself becoming as strong as this warrior._ ”

_“I don’t know,” mumbled Yuto. “It’s hard.”_

_The boy just smiled and placed a hand on Yuto’s shoulder, “It’s hard, but if you hold that image in your mind, then it’s sure to come true. Just imagine his strength becoming your strength.”_

“It probably didn’t seem like much to you, but when you gave me that card, it meant the world to me,” said Yuto. “I decided I wanted to fight you one day, so I made deck, but, you moved away and I never got the chance.” Yuto smiled, the trembling in his hands calming with every passing moment. The fight was exciting and it was fun. “So that’s why, being able to fight you like this makes me happy. Now, I ride my avatar, Phantom Blaster Dragon!”

Shun raised an eyebrow, studying him carefully. “I hope you’re not thinking this fight is going to be easy,” said Shun as he threw down several guards from his hand, blocking the attack Yuto sent his way. “I let you take that first point of damage. But newbie or not, I won’t hold back.”

Yuto smiled as a swell of confidence bubbled up inside him. “Good, it wouldn’t be any fun if you held back on account of me.”

They traded attacks back and forth but in the in end Shun won.

Yuto sighed heavily as he put the final card into his damage zone. He’d lost, that meant he’d lost his card too. As he reached to hold the card out Shun shook his head, “Keep it.”

Yuto frowned in confusion, “What? But I lost.”

“You’ve earned it. That fight told me what I needed to know, about you. You earned that card, keep it.”

A smile split across Yuto’s face. “Th-thank you! I hope we can fight again sometime!”

A tiny smile tugged at Shun’s lips as he stood up, grabbing his bag the chair beside him. Without another word he headed for the door, Yuya scrambling to gather his things up before running after him.

“You can’t just leave without me!” he sputtered.

“Then don’t be so slow.”

Yuto held his card tightly, smiling as he watched Shun leave. The joy was short lived however when he glanced at the clock and his face paled.

“Oh man, I’m so late! Yuzu is going to kill me!” he yelped, grabbing his bag before bolting towards the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it'll probably become clear which characters are in which roles (and for those not introduced yet I'll let you guess about who is who, my only restriction was 'characters that appeared in Arc V only'). And no, no Vanguard characters are going to appear, this is basically 'Vanguard but with A5 characters' cause I can.
> 
> The plot is, probably going to be a mush up the manga and anime plots (the manga better explains/established some things that the anime did not) so it won't be a clean 1 for 1 rip of the anime storyline. Even the character swaps aren't a perfect one for one.
> 
> And why is Yuto's last name Hiiragi?? Well you'll find out soon enough :D  
> Like, the next chapter (but, you can probably guess why)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which we meet a few more characters to the cast, I'm sure you can figure out who is who.
> 
> EDIT: I made a slight change to part of this chapter (just after Sora arrives) so pls reread

Yuzu glanced at her watch as she leaned on the wall outside Hitsue Middle School. Over the last few days Yuto had been strangely late getting home, strange because he was always home on time. And when questioned about it he just shrugged and said ‘stuff’.

‘Stuff’, well today Yuzu was going to find out what this ‘stuff’ was, provided Yuto actually left the school.

With how evasive he was being, she hoped he hadn’t gotten roped into anything dangerous. Yuzu shuddered at the though and shook her head. If anyone was messing her brother she was going to teach them a lesson to be sure.

“Hey Yuto wait for us!”

Yuzu quickly ducked behind a tree as Yuto came darting off the school grounds, followed closely by two other students.

“What, thought you were leaving without us?” asked the red-head, catching Yuto in a headlock.

“Cut it out Allen. I told you, I’ll fight you when we get there. Now let me go.”

Fight, what did he mean by that? What had Yuto gotten himself involved in and with whom? Maybe it was a gang after all.

Waiting until the trio passed, she slipped out from behind the tree and darted after them, keeping her distance so as not to be spotted.

“Card Capital?” Yuzu tilted her head curiously as she looked at the place in front of her. What sort of a place was this, and why was Yuto there?

Taking a deep breath she reached for the handle and stepped inside.

It was not the lion’s den she was expecting, in fact it looked like a store, a nice respectable store.

“Hello there miss, can I help you?” Yuzu jumped and the man behind the counter laughed softly, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s alright,” she said. “What is this place exactly?”

The red-head grinned widely as he leaned his arms on the counter. “This is Card Capital! It’s a card shop, we sell various trading cards as well as offer a place for players to fight each other and hang out. I take it this is your first time in one huh?”

Yuzu nodded, “I’m looking for someone.”

“Well, if you need anything just ask. Name’s Crow, I’m the owner.”

A card shop, why on earth would Yuto be there of all places?

“Looks like you lose again Allen.”

“Fight me again Yuto, I’ll win this time!”

“Isn’t that what you said last time?”

“Sayaka!”

“Besides, Yuto’s gonna be fighting me next, right?” A boy sitting beside Yuto hooked an arm around him with a grin.

Yuto nodded, “I already promised Yuya I’d fight him, sorry Allen.”

Allen, the red head, sighed, sliding out of his seat to make way for Yuya, who dropped in quite happily as he began to shuffle his deck.

Yuzu couldn’t believe it. This was where he’d been going? This was Yuto’s big secret? That he was off playing card games? She couldn’t understand it, why had he been hiding that, and friends he had friends too!

“Yuto what are you doing here?” she asked, walking towards him.

Yuto dropped his deck in surprise, cards scattering across the table and floor.

“Yu-Yuzu!”

Yuya, Allen and Sayaka turned to look at her, wondering what had gotten Yuto so panicked.

“What are you doing here?” asked Yuto.

“I think that’s my line,” said Yuzu, placing a hand on her hip. “Is this where you’ve been vanishing off to after school everyday?”

He shrank slightly and looked down at the cards in his hands, “Yeah.”

“Hey Yuto, who’s the girl?”

Yuto sighed heavily, shoulders falling, “That’s my sister, Yuzu.”

“Sister huh?” Yuya looked from Yuto, to Yuzu then back again. “I don’t see it.”

Yuzu sighed and rolled her eyes, “That’s because we’re not related,” she said. “He’s adopted.”

Yuto nodded, “It’s true, her dad adopted me a few years back. So even though she’s my sister, we’re not actually related. But Yuzu, what are you doing here?”

“Looking for you,” she said. “I was worried, you’ve been coming home late and you wouldn’t tell us where you were going. I thought maybe, you had gotten involved in something…bad.”

Yuto snorted and laughed, startling everyone near him. “Me, up to something bad?”

“Well what did you expect me to think Yuto?” she huffed, arms folded over her chest. “You said you were doing ‘stuff’ but wouldn’t tell me what ‘stuff’ was.”

“Naw he’s been hanging out with us,” said Yuya with a grin. “You can too if you want.”

Yuzu shook her head, “That’s alright. I’m just glad my brother’s in good hands, and not causing a problem.”

“This guy, a problem? Please.”

Yuto smiled slightly, shuffling his cards in his hands.

“Well, you have fun,” said Yuzu. “I’ll tell dad you’re ok. Just don’t be late for dinner.” With a final wave, Yuzu turned and headed for the door, which opened as a tall lanky teen strode in, hands stuffed into his pockets.

From the other end of the shop Yuto perked up and Yuzu heard a cheerful ‘Shun’ from him.

 

“I still can’t believe you thought you needed to keep it a secret,” laughed Yuzu as they sat at dinner.

“D-don’t laugh,” sputtered Yuto, poking at his plate.

“I’m sorry, but why so secretive about Vanguard?” asked Yuzu. “And making friends. I’m glad you’re making friends and not sulking in your room all day.”

“I don’t sulk.”

“You’re right, you don’t sulk. You brood.”

“Yuzu!”

 

Sora was bored, his usual stomping grounds had gotten dull, there were no good fighters left, none that gave him any kind of challenge anyways.

Hands on his hips he looked up at the card shop in front of him, he’d walked several neighborhoods off his usual route just to find a new one that might have some decent cardfighters.

Confidently he pushed the doors open, striding in, his head held high.

“Hey, you know where I can find some strong fighters?” he asked, looking at the girl behind the counter. She cocked an eyebrow and he swallowed quickly, “Please?”

“Try that table there,” she said, pointing to a table of three where a match was just finishing up.

“Looks like I won,” cheered Yuya with a grin as he gathered his cards up. “That's one step closer to being the strongest in the shop.”

“Oh, how come?” asked Yuto. 

“Well, I beat you, and you’ve beaten everyone but Shun, so that means I must be at least as strong as Shun,” said Yuya with a nod.

“Except that you’ve never managed to beat me,” said Shun, leaning back in his chair.

Yuya stopped and put his chin in his hand thoughtfully, that was true wasn’t it. “Fine then, fight me Shun!”

“No.”

Yuya sputtered and Yuto hid a laugh behind his hand.

“You’ll only embarrass yourself,” said Shun.

Yuya opened his mouth to respond but was cut off as another voice sounded over his.

“Hey, which one of you in the strongest?”

Yuya, Yuto and Shun all turned to see who was speaking to them. The boy had sky blue hair drawn up in a ponytail and was dressed in the uniform of the local middle school.

“And who are you?” asked Shun.

“Name’s Shiunin Sora, and I’m the strongest fighter around. So which one of you is the strongest at this table?”

The three exchanged looks before Yuya and Yuto shrugged. “That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” said Yuto. 

“Yeah I mean, I beat Yuto, but Yuto's beaten everyone except Shun, and no one's beaten Shun,” said Yuya. “So we really don’t know.

Sora stared at them blankly for a moment before shaking his head, “Fine, I’ll just take all three of you on then.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Yuya with a grin. “How you feel about taking me on first? That ok with you Yuto?”

Yuto nodded as he stood up, moving so Sora could take a seat across from Yuya.

“But I’m warning you, just cause you’re a kid doesn’t mean I’m going to go easy on you,” said Yuya.

Sora grinned, “Good.”

“Stand up, Vanguard!”

 

Yuya could only stare in disbelief as he placed the final card into his damage zone; he’d lost the fight.

“I don’t…I don’t understand, how?” he sputtered. He’d been so sure he was going to win, and it had almost looked like he was going to win until Sora somehow managed to turn it around.

“Aww yeah, I creamed you,” said Sora with a grin, arms folded over his chest as he watched a dumbstruck Yuya gather his cards. “I guess that makes me the strongest.”

“You only beat one of us,” said Yuya. “Like I said before, Shun beats me all the time.”

“Then I’ll fight him next and prove I’m the strongest,” said Sora.

Shun shook his head, “You’re not worth my time unless you can beat Yuto.”

“Shun don’t be mean,” said Yuto.

“I’m not. You’re the only person who’s beaten me, if wants to fight me then he has to beat you first.”

Yuto sighed and shook his head; Shun wasn’t usually this stubborn about things but it didn’t sound like there was any changing his him.

“I guess it’s the two of us then,” said Yuto with a reassuring smile as he sat down. “I promise Shun’s not always like this.”

“Just most of the time,” said Yuya with a grin, earning an eye roll from Shun.

Sora huffed, puffing his cheeks out in annoyance. “Well, it doesn’t matter, I’ll just beat you,” he said, pulling a sucker out of his pocket and popping it in his mouth.

“Stand up, Vanguard!”

 

“With my Guru Tiger I attack your Vanguard!”

“Perfect guard!”

“What?” Sora squeaked as Yuto slapped down a card, stopping his attack dead in its tracks. “You had a Perfect Guard in your hand?”

“Looks like it’s my turn now,” said Yuto. “I stand and draw.” His eyes skimmed across the table, the damage sat at 5 to 4 in favour of Sora, but he could still turn it around.

“This was a good fight Sora, but you’re not winning this fight I’m afraid. I ride my avatar, Phantom Blaster Dragon! I activate Phantom Blaster Dragon’s effect. I retire three of my rear guard units to gain 10,000 power and a critical.”

Sora gulped, looking frantically between his hand and the field for something he could do.

“And now with a boost from Darkside Pegasus, I attack!”

Sora swallowed hard, “I…I…n-no guard.” He bit down slightly on the candy in his mouth.

Yuto flipped over two cards for his drive check, turning up a Critical Trigger and giving the effects to his Vanguard.

Sora trembled, reaching for his deck; his only hope of surviving this turn was to turn up a Heal Trigger. “Damage check.” He turned over the first card, a regular unit; the second card, another regular unit. He held his breath, reaching for the third card, his last chance and only hope.

Nothing.

“I lost,” he said quietly, staring down at the cards in front of him. “I actually lost.”

Yuya grinned in his seat and flashed Yuto a thumbs up.

“That was so cool!” Sora slammed his hands on the table suddenly, making Yuto jump in surprise. The smaller boy grinned widely, hands planted firmly on the table as he leaned towards Yuto. “I haven’t had a fight like that in so long. You have to fight me again!”

“I-what?”

“I mean, I’m definitely going to come back here again, especially if you’re here!” He turned and look over at Shun, pausing a moment, “I’m gonna fight you next.”

“Not a chance short stack,” said Shun.

“I…what?!”

Shun folded his arms across his chest and nodded, “You didn’t beat Yuto. I told you if you want to fight me you have to beat Yuto first, and you didn’t beat Yuto.”

Sora balled his fists, standing up from his seat and looking ready from a fight. But whatever he was about to say or do never happened as the front door to the shop opened and a voice cut him off before he could start.

“Yuto!”

Yuto, who had been in the midst of gathering up his cards, nearly dropped his deck in surprise as he froze at the sound of the voice.

“I thought I would find you here,” said Yuzu, striding across the floor to where he was sitting, now trying to crawl under the table and hide.

“H-hey Yuzu, what’s up?” he asked meekly.

“Did you forget what day it was?” she asked, hands on her hips as she gave him a disapproving look.

“Wednesday?” asked Yuto hopefully.

“Mmmhmm, and what were you supposed to do today?” asked Yuzu.

“I was…I was…” Yuto trailed off as his eyes widened in horror. “It’s my turn to help with dinner isn’t it?” He quickly turned back to Yuya and Shun, clapping his hands together, “I’m so sorry but I really have to get going. I’ll see you guys tomorrow. You too Sora.”

With Yuzu’s eyes boring into the back of his head, Yuto quickly gathered up his cards, stuffing them into his bag.

“See you tomorrow Yuto!” said Yuya was a wave. “Oh man, he’s in hot water huh?”

“Who was that?” asked Sora, a light blush painting his cheeks, his cards held barely in his hand. “Who was that amazing, awesome woman with Yuto?”

“You mean Yuzu?” asked Yuto.

Sora nodded. “So her name’s Yuzu huh? Even her name is pretty.” He slammed his hands on the table, causing Yuya to jump. “Yuya, I want you to fight me again!”

“What, why?”

“I need to get stronger so I can beat Yuto and win Yuzu’s heart. He’s clearly not good enough for her.”

“So get your deck out Yuya and fight me!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've read the manga you'll know which bits I'm pinching from it(don't worry there will be original stuff).


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoop here it is, chapter three. Finally.   
> And with it comes a few new characters. Some named and some...not. :3

_“You’ve never gone to other card shops before?” asked Yuya, sitting across from Yuto in Card Capital, empty card packs scattered around the table._

_Yuto shook his head, absentmindedly shuffling his cards, “Nope, only this one, why, is that strange?”_

_“Hmm, well you are new at this so I guess I shouldn’t be to surprised,” said Yuya, leaning back in his chair. “But yeah, if you stay at one shop all the time you’ll only end up fighting the same people over and over. Going to other shops helps keep things fresh you know. Shun fights at a whole bunch of different card shops. Probably where he is right now actually.” He huffed, puffing his cheeks out comically. “Blew me off and everything.”_

_“Are there lots of them?” asked Yuto._

_Yuya nodded, “If you know where to look sure. Hey, why don’t we all meet up downtown tomorrow and go look for one?” said Yuya. “I’ll try and bring Shun along but no promises.”_

 

That had been the day before, and after Allen and Sayaka arrived they too were invited along and it was decided that the lot of them would meet up downtown before looking for a cardshop to fight at.

Except, Yuto could not find any trace of them. He looked down at his phone, then back at the streets around him. Had they gotten there early and gone on ahead without him? No, there was no way; they wouldn’t do that to him. Maybe they just hadn’t arrived yet? Or maybe he’d gotten the wrong area?

Yuto sighed, hanging his head, he’d give it a few more minutes and if he still didn’t see them he’d call someone and find out where they were. In the meantime though, a short look around couldn’t hurt, maybe he’d find a cardshop before they arrived.

Tucking his phone away he made one last double check for his deck before starting off down the road.

He wasn’t going to go far, just check out a few stores then double back and check some in the other direction. That was the plan, until something caught his eye.

It was a narrow alleyway situated in between two shops and Yuto almost passed right by it until something told him to stop and drew his attention to it. At the end of the alleyway was a sign, almost hidden in the dim light. Curious, Yuto went for a closer look to see what it said.

 

_Card Shop **PSY**_

Just as he finished reading the poster he heard the sound of a door opening and his attention was drawn down to the end of the hall to his left. The pair of shop doors, with the word ‘PSY’ emblazoned on the wall above them, swung open as a teen strode out, hands tucked in his jacket pockets. As he neared, Yuto realized that the boy couldn’t be much older than he was. His sharp violet eyes didn’t even register Yuto as he walked past, only removing a hand from his pocket to tuck a stray strand of hair behind his ear. As the boy passed, Yuto felt a strange chill roll down his spine, despite the fact the boy didn’t pay him any attention.

Yuto watched him for a moment before turning back to the card shop, now intrigued. This was what they had been talking about anyways, finding other card shops to check out, surely they wouldn’t mind if he went ahead to check it out?

Stepping inside the first thing he noticed was that it was quiet, really quiet. For a moment he wondered if it was closed, there was no one else around and it was fairly dark. But then that boy had just been there, and the doors weren’t locked so it couldn’t be closed. Maybe it was just a slow day and the owners were in the back somewhere.

It was definitely a card shop, despite the lack of any other people in it, as the walls were lined the cards on display, many of which Yuto had never seen before. Rare cards were displayed via hologram above pillars that lined the room.

In almost the dead center of the room was a large, rather fancy looking fight table. At either end were playmats; sleek and black with brightly coloured spaces for the cards and in the middle was a large open area that seemed to be encased in a glass box.

As Yuto touched the surface it suddenly sprang to life, lights flickering on along the surface of the table, illuminating the designs on the table. It whirred loudly with a hum and a beep and Yuto leapt back in surprise, as a mechanical voice broke the silence.

“ _Please place your deck in place._ ”

“Come on we just turned that off!” groaned a woman’s voice from somewhere else in the building.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to!” said Yuto; taking another step away and making sure his hands were clear of it. “I just touched it and it turned on.”

“What?” As the woman strode into the room Yuto was shocked to see that she couldn’t be much older than he was, 16 or 17 at most. She had pale blond hair tied behind her in a long ponytail and her rose coloured eyes seemed to bore into him.

“What is it Gloria? Is it another customer?” asked a second female voice and a woman with snow-white hair and sharp green eyes appeared at her side, staring down the stairs to Yuto. “Ohh, did you start up the table?” she asked.

“Yes he did,” sighed the first woman, Gloria apparently.

“Ohh can I fight him this time Gloria? You fought the last one.”

“Knock yourself out Grace.”

The white haired twin clapped her hands happily before running down the stairs to meet Yuto at the table.

“What’s your name? I’m Grace Tyler, and that’s my sister, Gloria.”

“Y-Yuto Hiiragi.”

Grace beamed and grabbed his hand, shaking it enthusiastically before rushing around to the other side of the table.

“Then let’s start, I’m sure it’ll be fun,” she said, taking a deck out and placing it on the spot labeled ‘Deck’. Yuto followed suit, watching as the panel scanned his deck.

Grace Tyler, there was something about that name that seemed familiar but Yuto couldn’t place where he might have heard it.

“I hope you give me a good match,” she chirped.

Yuto nodded. “You too.”

“Stand up, Vanguard!”

As they turned over their cards the area between them suddenly flared to life and Yuto leapt back as holographic projections flared to life, Phantom Bringer Dragon on Yuto’s side and Silver Thorn Beast Tamer, Emile on Grace’s side.

“Surprised?” asked Grace, noticing his slack jawed reaction. “This is the most up to date, state of the art duel table there is.”

“I can believe it,” said Yuto. “The holograms are so life like. I didn’t even know they made anything like this.”

 

Yuzu took a deep breath as she stared up at the Card Capital sign before pushing the door open and stepping inside. Ever since Yuto had taken up playing Vanguard she’d noticed a change in him. He seemed happier and more out going, and he’d actually made some friends.

With her curiosity about the game finally winning out, Yuzu found herself standing out front of the cardshop.

“Hello?” The cardshop was considerably quieter than the last time she’d been in, and Yuto didn’t seem to be anywhere to be found.

“Can I help you?” asked the girl behind the counter.

“Oh! I um, it looks like my brother isn’t here today.”

Rin shook her head, “He went out with some of the others to find another card store to fight at,” she said. “Did you need them?”

“Well…I was hoping…” she rung her hands nervously. “I want to learn to play Vanguard.”

Rin glanced around, the few patrons in the shop were involved in cardfights of their own and Crow was in the back sorting through new stock.

“Alright, why don’t I teach you?”

“Really? You will?”

“Sure. I don’t really cardfight but I know how to do so. And we should have some structure decks so you don’t need to build one to start,” she said as she stood up.

“A structure deck?”

Rin nodded, “They’re premade decks, they’re useful for beginners so they can learn how to fight before working on building a deck themselves.” As she picked up a box she looked back at Yuzu. “I’m Rin by the way, you’re Yuzu Hiiragi right? Yuto’s sister?”

“Uh-huh. What about you, are you friends with the manager or?”

“He’s my uncle. Sort of.” Yuzu gave her a curious look and she quickly waved it off. “It’s a long story. Here, this is one of our newest decks, why don’t you look over it and familiarize yourself with it and the rules while I get mine.”

“I thought you didn’t play?”

“I don’t, but my uncle put a deck together for me in case I did start, he thinks I don’t know about it.”

Yuzu took he box from her and sat down as Rin slipped off somewhere else.

“Neo Nectar huh?” mused Yuzu as she opened the box and pulled out the deck. “I didn’t realize they could be so pretty too. Yuto’s aren’t like this at all.” When he wasn’t looking she’d managed to snag a look at his cards, which seemed to have lots of dragons and dark knights and other such characters, nothing like the faeries and flower themed characters of the cards she was now holding. Pretty and strong, that was a combo she could get behind. “Maybe I could get into this after all.”

There was a soft thump across from her and Yuzu looked up to see Rin sit down across from her, a deck held in one hand.

“You think you’re ready?” she asked. “Don’t worry, I’ll walk you through this so don’t worry if you don’t have it all memorized yet.”

Crow rubbed his lower back as he set the box of new stock on the counter, he was definitely going to need to invest in an easier way to haul things up and down stairs, before he did something to his back. He opened his mouth to ask Rin for help, only stopping when he realized she wasn’t behind the counter like usual. Looking around he spotted her sitting at a table with another girl, cards in hand as she explained the rules.

A smile tugged his lips and he looked down at the cat that lay curled up in a bed on the counter. “How about that sub-manager Jack, she’s actually playing.” As he watched them he didn’t notice that Jack had stood up and walked over to the box, rubbing his head and body along it, causing it to slide closer and closer to the edge of the table. At least, he didn’t notice till it was to late.

“Sub-manager no!” Crow yelped, making a dive for the box as it tipped over, sealed packs spilling all over the floor as Jack walked back to his bed, looking almost smug.

 

Yuto heaved, pressing a hand to his chest, no only were the holograms of the units realistic, but so were the sounds and actions, and he could swear he felt wind rush past him and feel the blows as they hit.

Grace, she was good, really good actually, and it became quickly apparent he needed to step up his game, especially with the damage tied at 4.

“Now I ride! Stand up my avatar, Phantom Blaster Dragon!” The large dragon roared to life in the holographic field and Yuto felt a shiver ripple through him at the sight of his favourite card. “I really enjoyed our fight Grace, but I’m going to win this one.”

Gloria leaned forward in her seat, hands resting under her chin as she watched them, eyes trained on Yuto more than her sister. She’d been expecting a lopsided fight but he was surprising her, surprising both of them really, with how good he was and how well he kept up with Grace. This was going to be a close fight, regardless of who won.

“I give the second Critical and all power to my Vanguard,” declared Yuto as he turned up the cards for his drive check. “Now Phantom Blaster Dragon will attack your Vanguard!”

Grace sighed, shoulders slumping in defeat. “No guard.”

Gloria sat up straight, watching as Grace turned made her damage check, placing the final cards in her damage zone. Her sister had actually lost! Just who was this Yuto kid?

“That was a great game,” said Grace as the holograms faded and the lights on the table dimmed. “I think I might have underestimated you a bit.”

“There you are Yuto!”

The door at the far end of the building suddenly swung open loudly as Allen’s voice echoed through the place as he, Yuya, Sora and Sayaka entered the building.

“Why didn’t you wait for us, geeze?”

“Told you we’d find him,” said Yuya, hands folded behind his head. “But he’s right. We got to the meeting spot and you weren’t there. And you weren’t answering your phone either.”

Yuto rubbed the back of his head with a weak smile, “Sorry, I guess I got to caught up in my fight and­–”

“You had a fight‽” Allen cut in, grabbing Yuto by the shoulders. “Without us?”

“Sorry.”

“Are these friends of yours?” asked Grace, suddenly appearing at Yuto’s side.

“Y-yeah.” He looked back at them and frowned. “Hey, where’s Shun?”

Yuya shrugged, “He said he had something else to do. Sorry Yuto, maybe next time.”

Yuto sighed; he’d really hoped Shun would be along but apparently not this time.

Behind him Allen was trying to weasel a fight out of Grace, who seemed to have turned being indecisive into a game, hmm-ing and hawing the whole time.

 

“I’m home!” Yuto called, stepping out of his shoes in the doorway. After spending a little longer at the shop they left and went to a find a busier shop, one with more people to fight and ended up spending several hours there.

“Oh you’re back, did you have fun out at another card shop?’ asked Yuzu, looking up as he came into the living room.

“Yeah I­–how did you know? I never said anything about that.”

“Rin told me when I stopped by Card Capital earlier.”

It was about then that Yuto noticed what she was doing at the living room table, and what was in her hands.

“You have Vanguard cards!” he exclaimed. “Since when do you play?”

“Well, you made it seem like fun so I thought I’d give it a try. Rin taught me today. Yuto, why don’t we have a fight, for practice? If you’re not too tired that is.”

“No way. But don’t expect me to go easy on you,” he said as he sat down across from her.

“I wouldn’t want you to, that wouldn’t be any fun.”

“…Hey Yuzu, I know this might be a stupid question but, do the names Grace and Gloria Tyler sound familiar? I feel like I’ve heard them but I can’t place them.”

For a moment Yuzu just stared at him and then, placing her cards down she grabbed the nearest newspaper. “They better sound familiar Yuto, they’re part of that idol group ARIA.” She flipped the paper open and pointed to an ad for an upcoming concert and there, right above the name ARIA were Gloria and Grace, along with a third, slightly older looking woman, red hair done in long pigtails.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yes, the sub-manager cat's name is Jack. Cause someone named Jack has to annoy the living hell out of Crow.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after several months I return with a chapter!
> 
> Also I realized I never actually decided on a clan for Shun so, uh, Kagero it is.

Yuto sighed as he looked at his deck; he’d spent all night trying to rearrange it, trying to decide which cards to take out and which to keep, but no matter what he did nothing felt right.

He yawned as he leaned back in his chair, trying to fend off sleep till he could finish what he was doing.

“ _Surely one of these combinations will work,_ ” he thought, rubbing his eyes with one hand.

“…to…”

His head snapped up and he looked around. For a moment he swore he heard someone talking. Nope, he was still alone in his room and it sounded like everyone else was in bed, somewhere he knew he should have been.

“I must be tired cause I think I’m hearing things,” he muttered, shaking his head. He gathered his cards up back into one pile; maybe rearranging his deck could wait till morning. If he was this tired he was bound to mess up and do something stupid.

“...uto.”

He stopped and turned towards his bedroom door, there it was again, that voice. Someone was definitely talking, though he wasn’t sure who, it wasn’t a voice he recognized.

“Hello?” As quietly as he could he stood up and made his way towards the bedroom door. Perhaps if he could see that there was no one out there it would convince him enough to stop hearing the voice and go to bed. 

Grabbing the door handle he pulled the door open and stepped out into somewhere that was not his hallway. In fact it wasn’t even his house as he felt grass underfoot and found himself standing in what seemed to be a field. Taking another few steps he slowly turned around, trying to get a better view of where he was. As he looked around he realized he knew this place, though until now he’d only seen it in his imagination during cardfights. This was Cray!

“Yuto!”

The voice sounded again and he turned around to see a large bipedal dragon land in front of him before dropping to one knee in a sort of bow. 

“My vanguard.”

“Phantom Blaster Dragon!” This was definitely Cray, it was the only explanation for this, it had to be.

As if on cue, Yuto noticed more and more Shadow Paladin units appearing around him. 

“It is an honour to meet you like this, my Vanguard,” said Phantom with a sort of bow.

“You really don’t need to be so formal,” said Yuto. “If anything, I should be the one thanking you. I don’t think I could be as strong as I am without you.” 

“Perhaps, but it is your strength that leads our clan to victory.”

Yuto shifted uncomfortably on the spot as Phantom Blaster stood up, stretching to its full, gigantic height, easily dwarfing Yuto. 

“So this, this really is Cray,” said Yuto. “It really exists.”

“You sound surprised.”

"I suppose I never really thought about it before. I just assumed it was all a game, and the world we were imagining was one we were creating," he admitted. "But it's real, and so are all of the units."

The dragon nodded. "It is rare though, for a human of Earth to visit us, especially like this. You must be special indeed." 

"You mean, other people can do this to o ?" asked Yuto. 

"Only rarely," replied Phantom Blaster Dragon. "Though two in such a short time is quite rare."

"Two? What do you-"

A loud crash filled the air and Yuto sat bolt upright, his heart pounding in his chest like a jackhammer. 

He was sitting in his chair, at his desk, the small lamp the only light in the darkness and his cards spread across the surface. Outside a thunderstorm was raging, and the source of the noise that had awoken him.

" _Was it, just a dream?"_ he wondered as looked around.  " _Had to be, there was no way I was actually on Cray._ " He looked back to his cards and sighed, maybe late night deck building was a bad idea. 

" _I'll just finish in the morning,_ " he thought as he began to gather them up, his jumpiness having scattered them about. As he picked up Phantom Blaster Dragon he stopped and glanced at it, then the cards in his hand, before nearly dropping them as inspiration struck him. " _How did I not see this before? I know just what to do now._ "

 

"Oh man Yuto , whatever you did to your deck last night must have worked," said Yuya, stretching his arm as he leaned back in his hair. "You're on a roll today."

"It's not that impressive," he said as he gathered up his cards from their latest match.

"Please, you completely steamrolled me . Several times. You're just a winning machine today."

Yuto rubbed the back of his head shyly, because for all his humbleness it was true, all the fights he'd had had ended in his victory. 

"I guess my deck's just really responding to me today," he said. 

"Maybe you should take that luck and try it against Shun when he gets here," said Yuya. "Maybe you'll get a win this time . "

"I doubt it," said Yuto. "This is Shun we're talking about."

As if on cue there bell above the door dinged as it opened and Shun walked through and into the shop. 

Before Yuto could say anything, Yuya jumped up and darted across the floor to Shun, grabbing him by the arm. 

"Your timing is perfect," said Yuya. 

"Oh?"

"I think today is the day that Yuto finally  beats you."

S hun raised an eyebrow, looking from Yuya to Yuto, who had his head in his hands. "Really now?"

"Oh yeah, you should see the roll he's on, even you'd be hard pressed to beat him today."

"What do you think Yuto?" asked Shun. 

"If it gets him to shut up about it, fine," he replied, lifting his head. "It's not like I have anything to lose."

Shun laughed as Yuya dragged him over to the table, taking his deck out as he sat down. "Alright, let's see what's got Yuya so excited."

"Stand up, Vanguard!"

As they turned their units over Yuto felt a rush of, something, flow through him and the entire world seemed to melt around him, the card shop giving way to a craggy, desolate landscape , peaks and cliffs of red rock as far as the eye could see. Even in pictures it was like nothing he'd ever seen on earth. 

" _This...this is Cray!_ "

Before him a small, bipedal dragon appeared that he recognized as one of Shun's units. Then in the blink of an eye he was back in the shop, sitting across from Shun, their Grade 0 units upturned as they started the fight. 

" _That's never happened before,_ " he thought, wondering if anyone else had seen that. From their reactions it didn't seem like it, everything just continuing on around them as normal. 

" I call Iron Tail Dragon, and move Lizard Soldier, Conroe to the rear guard."

Yuto looked back to the field as Shun called a new unit forth, his turn ending almost as quickly as it began. 

" _I guess Shun didn't see it,_ " he thought as he drew a card.  "I ride Blaster Javelin!"

The same rush of energy flowed through him  except this time he was Blaster Javelin, looking out on the field through the unit's eyes. 

" Next I call Darkside Pegasus and Black Sage, Charon to the rear guard."

Yuto shuddered as he felt a rush of energy wash over him again and for a moment he swore he heard a faint voice calling out to him. He glanced around, but the only ones paying attention to his fight were Shun and Yuya, and it neither of them had said anything.

" Darkside Pegasus boosts Blaster Javelin, and then I boost with my other Darkside Pegasus. Then I attack your vanguard. "

Clutching his lance tightly, Yuto rushed forward, charging at Iron Tail Dragon. The great, red beast listed into the air, swinging its tail around and clashing with the weapon with a loud clang, the two locked in a deadlock. Then several more units appeared at his side, bearing down on Yuto and driving him away from their Vanguard. At least for a moment, they were suddenly thrown off, vanishing into the air with a cry. Yuto looked up to see a horned wizard hovering in the air beside him, magic crackling around his hand. 

"Go, my vanguard!"

With a nod Yuto turned and continued his attack, lunging at the dragon  with a new rush of energy  and striking it with his lance.

Shun grunted as the attack connected and Yuto almost fell back in his chair in recoil. The attack had felt so, so real. Fights had always been intense but this was a whole new level to it . It was as if he was actually doing the fighting himself and feeling the attacks; actually watching how the fight would play out between actual units. It was simultaneously frightening and exhilarating. 

He watched as Shun placed a card in the damage zone , his attack having gone through successfully.

"Let's see if that luck of yours can hold out," said Shun as he drew a card and started his turn.

T hey traded blows throughout the fight, though it was clear that Yuto was controlling  things, always managing to stay just out of Shun's reach .

" I see what Yuya meant," said Shun as he made his drive check on his most recent attack. "There's definitely something, different, about the way you're playing today." He sighed as he put the cards in his hand; neither card had turned up a trigger. But as it was, Yuto hadn't even guarded, so trigger or no he was still going to take a point of damage. "But I'm still going to win."

"Damage check...hey Shun? Are you sure about that?" asked Yuto with a grin as he held up the card he'd just drawn. "My heal trigger says otherwise."

"Your what?!" Shun almost dropped his hand as he stared in shock at the card Yuto was holding. A heal trigger, of all the things to draw right then, he'd pulled a heal trigger.

"And now it's my turn again," said Yuto.  "And I'm going to win this time, I can feel it."

"You're certainly sure of yourself today," said Shun with a wry grin.

Yuto nodded, "Mmhmm. The cards already showed me that I'd win. I attack your vanguard with Phantom Blaster Dragon!"

"They-what? Wait, I guard!" Fumbling with his cards, Shun quickly threw down several cards to guard against Yuto's attack. "What do you mean they told you?" he asked again.

Yuto ignored him, moving onto the next phase instead as he made his drive check. "First check, Critical Trigger! I give all effects and critical to Phantom Blaster Dragon. Second check," he paused as he turned the second card up and a grin split his face. "Critical Trigger. I give all the effects and the critical to Phantom Blaster Dragon again!"

Yuya gave a whistle of surprise. "A double critical, man Shun you're really in trouble now."

"Yeah. Damage check." Wordlessly, Shun turned over the next two cards, and ,  dropped them in the damage zone, bringing his damage count to 6.

"I...I won." Yuto's hands trembled as he stared at the cards before him. He'd actually won! He smiled as he picked up Phantom Blaster Dragon from the table. "We won, I can't believe it, we won."

The last attack, it had felt so, so real; energy and power rushing through him as he and Phantom Blaster Dragon charged at Shun's vanguard.

"Yuto!" At the sound of Shun's voice he looked up suddenly,  Shun staring at him  from  across the table. 

"What is it?"

"What did you mean earlier, when you said that the cards showed you?"

Yuto blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Oh, that. You'll think I'm silly , " he said. 

"Try me."

Yuto sighed, letting his hand fall to his side as he looked down at the card in his hand . " Have you ever, heard the cards ' voices ?" asked Yuto. "It's like that, like I was actually fighting alongside them and I just, knew I would win. Like I said it's silly,  but  I just don't know how else to explain it." As he looked back to Shun he frowned, Shun was wearing a very, stony expression, lips drawn in a tight line. He looked, almost angry. "Shun?"

"Don't listen to them!" His voice was sharp, almost harsh, and Yuto stumbled back in surprise, tripping against his chair in the process. "Stop it now, don't ever listen to them. Whatever power you think you're getting, it's not real."

"Shun what are you talking about?" asked Yuto. "Like I said it's silly anyways. It was, just a feeling or something. Nothing to get riled up over."

"Just, just don't do it ok?" said Shun.  "Nothing good can come from it. If you do keep doing it, you might as well stop playing Vanguard."

"Shun..." Yuto gripped his deck tightly, hands shaking, threatening to spill his now neatly gathered cards all over the table again. "What's gotten into you? Is it because I actually won?" He tightened his grip on his deck, taking a step away from the table and Shun. 

"Wait Yuto that's not it."

" I finally win against you for once and you can't even be happy for me.  All you want to know if how I did it, and to tell me that it's wrong."

" Yuto I-"

"I have to go. Sorry." Swallowing the lump in his throat he grabbed his bag before turning and bolting out the door.

"What the heck was that about Shun?" asked Yuya, smacking his shoulder hard as they watched Yuto leave. "I know losing is a new thing to you, but you're supposed to say 'congratulations, that was a good fight', or something like that."

Shun groaned as he dropped back into his chair, putting his head in his hands. "I'm such an idiot."

"Well you should probably go after him," said Yuya. "Cause it's gonna rain and I don't think he has an umbrella."

 

Yuto shivered, wrapping his arms around himself as the rain poured down on his head, soaking him straight through to the bone. The downpour had come out of seemingly nowhere and the next thing Yuto knew he was caught in the middle of it, with nothing to keep him dry . He knew he should have just gone home, but he wanted to clear his head first.  


Looking around he spotted an empty bus shelter and made a beeline for it, maybe he could just wait out the storm there, surely it couldn't last that long. He dropped into one of the seats with a wet squishing noise, dripping water all over the place and pooling at his feet.

He couldn't understand it, why had Shun reacted like that? Was he that upset about losing? Couldn't he at least have tried to be happy for him?

Reaching into his pocket he pulled out his deck case, the only thing on him seemingly not wet. 

What was so wrong about listening to the cards anyways? They didn't want to hurt him and they weren't telling him to hurt anyone. They were helping him, encouraging him. Why was that so bad?

Yuto bowed his head, trembling as water dripped off the ends of his hair and splashed onto his hands . He was cold, he was wet, he'd just gotten into a shouting match with his friend, there was no way his day could possibly get any worse.

T he thunderstorm rumbled around Yuto, flashes of lightning illuminating every shadow in every crevice around him. In the silence between thunder crashes, Yuto heard the telltale sound of footsteps on the pavement and looked up to see someone standing in front of him just outside the shelter. 

It was a boy his age, with violet hair and bored pink eyes, the same boy he'd seen the other day coming out of Card Shop PSY. He held an umbrella in one hand and shifted from foot to foot as he looked at Yuto. 

"Can I help you?" asked Yuto. 

"You play Vanguard?" the boy asked, pointing at the deck box in Yuto's hands. 

"Oh, y-yes, I play."

"Are you strong?"

Yuto blinked in surprise. "Um, I don't know. I suppose I am."

The boy nodded thoughtfully, tapping the toe of his boot on the ground. He made a quiet 'hmm' noise before reaching in and grabbing Yuto's arm, hauling him to his feet. 

"Let's card fight," said the boy.  "Not here obviously, it's far too wet and you look like a drowned rat, but I know a place."

"Right now?"

"Yes now. You seem strong, I want to see how strong. So come with me. "

Stuffing his deck case away, Yuto stumbled after the strange boy, his curiosity piqued.

"Hey, what's your name?" he asked, ignoring social etiquette and trying to slip under the umbrella as well. "Mine's Yuto. Hiiragi Yuto."

"Yuri."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yuri decided he wanted to show up early and he came with some plot attached so, who am I to argue? It means I can finally move this story along. 
> 
> And yes, Yuri is filling in the roll of exactly who you think he is.


End file.
